"We have already started monetising our operational NHs and we are leasing them out to international funds for 30 years. They pay us upfront and we give them the right to collect toll. The return is high as traffic in India is growing," said Gadkari.

Travel between Palwal and Kundli will become seamless and the commute time will come down by half to just one-and-a-half hours from next month with the opening of the six-lane Eastern Peripheral Expressway.

The Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has yesterday said that monetisation of 105 road projects can easily fetch Rs 1.25 lakh crore and there is no dearth of funds for building highways.

​​This comes as a surprise to the industry as Rakesh was recently elevated to the position of Directo Sales and Marketing which was the third promotion for him in six years of his tenure in the company.